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92-491: Toyota vehicles in Japan are distributed to numerous dealership chains throughout the country. Up to May 2020, each dealership chain had a different product offering, with some models restricted to one chain to maintain exclusivity. Since May 2020, every Toyota model in Japan was available in all dealership chains. Current dealership chains include Toyota Store , Toyopet Store , Toyota Corolla Store and Netz Store . In Japan in

184-900: A 2.8% stake in Panasonic , as well as stakes in vehicle manufacturing joint-ventures in China ( FAW Toyota and GAC Toyota ), the Czech Republic ( TPCA ), India ( Toyota Kirloskar ) and the United States ( MTMUS ). Toyota is listed on the London Stock Exchange , Nagoya Stock Exchange , New York Stock Exchange and on the Tokyo Stock Exchange , where its stock is a component of the Nikkei 225 and TOPIX Core30 indices. In 1924, Sakichi Toyoda invented

276-475: A class below the Crown and Century and offered hardtop coupes and sedans. The Supra , Mark II , Cresta and Chaser offered several trim packages with different engine displacements to provide buyers with annual road tax advantages. At the same time, sports cars like Celica , Corolla Levin and Sprinter Trueno sold very well. Efforts to open a Toyota assembly plant in the United States started in 1980, with

368-489: A customer can purchase any Toyota new from any of the four dealership groups, while Lexus products remain exclusive to Lexus locations. The following is a list of models that used to be available to certain dealerships. The discontinued models are identified with a ☆ while the present models are identified with a ★. Most of the present models can now finally be found in every store from all dealership groups since May 2020 due to Toyota's Unification Strategy. Exceptions like

460-524: A drop in production and exports. Severe flooding during the 2011 monsoon season in Thailand affected Japanese automakers that had chosen Thailand as a production base. Toyota is estimated to have lost production of 150,000 units to the tsunami and production of 240,000 units to the floods. On February 10, 2014, it was announced that Toyota would cease manufacturing vehicles and engines in Australia by

552-785: A joint venture with local partner Astra International in 1971, and conducted significant retooling at the PT Gaya Motor assembly plant. The plant began assembling various models, including the Toyota Corona, Toyota Land Cruiser, large trucks, and the Toyota Corolla, with production surpassing 10,000 vehicles by 1973. For both countries, Toyota developed a basic utility vehicle (BUV) with the local partners to meet local needs and support technology transfers, in response to domestic production policies in Asia. The first prototype of

644-597: A long-standing partnership between Toyota and the two companies. After the successes of the 1970s, and the threats of import restrictions, Toyota started making additional investments in the North American market in the 1980s. In 1981, Japan agreed to voluntary export restraints , which limited the number of vehicles the nation would send to the United States each year, leading Toyota to establish assembly plants in North America. The U.S. government also closed

736-486: A low of 45,678 for the 2010 model year, compared to over 170,000 for 2006. The management tried to resuscitate the brand, hoping to sell 35,000 to 45,000 tC in a year after the model was redesigned for 2011. In October 2011, the iQ , an ultra-compact city car , debuted as a 2012 model. In April 2012, Jack Hollis (Vice President of Scion) announced that the xB and xD would be dropped after 2012, supposedly in favor of all new models from Toyota's hatchback division, Daihatsu ;

828-509: A premium because of their packaged options and scarcity. 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 In 2007, the median age of a Toyota consumer was 54 years old. Comparatively, Scion's average buyer age at that time was lowest in the industry, at 39. Initially, Scion's first two cars (the xA and xB), while unusual for American roads, were well received among consumers not interested in standard entry-level vehicles. The tC

920-688: A production facility in Brazil, the company's first outside of Japan. Toyota entered the United States market in 1958, attempting to sell the Toyopet Crown. The company faced problems almost immediately. The company had to confront for the first time how its name sounded to native speakers of the English language; namely, "Toyota" has the English word " toy " in its first syllable. Toyota Motor Sales, USA 's first sales administrator James F. McGraw bluntly told his new Japanese supervisors after joining

1012-569: A project in Japan with other Japanese companies who attempted to market products to younger buyers. Toyota manufactured three vehicles under the WiLL brandname, which were exclusive to Toyota Netz Store Japanese dealerships. Scion was marketed as a youth brand and was first introduced in March 2002, at the New York Auto Show . There were just two concept vehicles, the bbX (which became

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1104-511: A seat on the board of directors in 2000. Akio's promotion by the board marked the return of a member of the Toyoda family to the top leadership role for the first time since 1999. In 2011, Toyota, along with large parts of the Japanese automotive industry , suffered from a series of natural disasters. The 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami led to a severe disruption of the supplier base and

1196-480: A separate company for sales of its motor vehicles, including exports, called トヨタ自動車販売株式会社 Toyota Jidōsha Hanbai Kabushiki Gaisha , Toyota Auto Sales Corporation, sometimes abbreviated トヨタ自販 Toyota Jihan . In 1950, there were forty-seven sales outlets for Toyota vehicles in Japan. In 1955, Toyota launched a new style of sedan, the Crown . In 1957, Toyota began manufacturing a slightly smaller and more economical sedan,

1288-636: A similar approach to the performance division Toyota Racing Development (TRD), providing various upgrades for the 86, Vitz, Prius, Mark X, Harrier, Noah and Voxy. In the female idol group, AKB48 , Toyota and AKS have worked together to create a subunit named Team 8 , which was marketed with the slogan: "Idols who come to meet you." They have a total of 47 members, each representing a prefecture of Japan. Starting in May 2020, models that were exclusive to particular Toyota dealership networks began to be shared with other Toyota dealership networks. Consequently, in Japan

1380-524: A vehicle. At the same time, the Japanese government heavily invested in improving road infrastructure. To take advantage of the moment, Toyota and other automakers started offering affordable economy cars like the Toyota Corolla , which became the world's all-time best-selling automobile . Toyota also found success in the United States in 1965 with the Toyota Corona compact car, which

1472-488: A white Corolla, rolled off the line at NUMMI on October 7, 1986. Toyota received its first Japanese Quality Control Award at the start of the 1980s and began participating in a wide variety of motorsports . Conservative Toyota held on to rear-wheel-drive designs for longer than most; while a clear first in overall production they were only third in production of front-wheel-drive cars in 1983, behind Nissan and Honda. In part due to this, Nissan's Sunny managed to squeeze by

1564-501: Is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi , Japan . It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on August 28, 1937. Toyota is the largest automobile manufacturer in the world, producing about 10 million vehicles per year. The company was founded as a spinoff of Toyota Industries , a machine maker started by Sakichi Toyoda , Kiichiro's father. Both companies are now part of

1656-613: The Corona . A separate sales network, Toyopet Stores (トヨペット店 Toyopetto-ten ), was created to sell the Corona and Toyopet ToyoAce trucks. To offer a Crown-sized luxury sedan, the Mark II was offered. To distinguish Crown showrooms from Corona showrooms, the former came to be called Toyota Stores (トヨタ店 Toyota-ten ). In the 1960s, Toyota Stores added a new luxury car, the Century . In

1748-778: The Publica . In 1966, the chain of outlets was renamed Toyota Corolla Store" (トヨタカローラ店 Toyota Karōra-ten ) to offer the Corolla , followed by the sports hardtop and liftback Celica and the Supra . The "Toyota Auto Stores" (トヨタオート店 Toyota Ōto-ten ) sales network was established in 1967 to sell a Corolla clone called the Sprinter . In the 1970s the Chaser and the LiteAce added more choices. "Toyota Vista Stores" (トヨタ・ビスタ) sales network

1840-782: The T100 (and later the Tundra ), several lines of SUVs, a sport version of the Camry , known as the Camry Solara . They would also launch newer iterations of their sports cars, namely the MR2 , Celica , and Supra during this era. In Japan, Toyota continued to cater to the growing demand for mid-level luxury cars and offered several conventional and pillared hardtops sedans at its Japanese dealership network. The Soarer , Mark II , Cresta , Chaser , Corona EXiV , and Carina ED found many buyers. At

1932-636: The Tiara . After Kiichiro's death, his cousin Eiji Toyoda led the company for the two decades. Eiji helped establish the company's first plant independent from the Loom Works plant. At the start of the 1960s, the Japanese economy was booming, a period that came to be known as the Japanese economic miracle . As the economy grew, so did the income of everyday people, who now could afford to purchase

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2024-610: The Toyota Group , one of the largest conglomerates in the world. While still a department of Toyota Industries, the company developed its first product, the Type A engine , in 1934 and its first passenger car in 1936, the Toyota AA . After World War II , Toyota benefited from Japan's alliance with the United States to learn from American automakers and other companies, which gave rise to The Toyota Way (a management philosophy) and

2116-874: The Toyota Mirai , a technology that is much costlier and has fallen far behind electric batteries in terms of adoption. As of 2024 , the Toyota Motor Corporation produces vehicles under four brands: Daihatsu , Hino , Lexus and the namesake Toyota. The company also holds a 20% stake in Subaru Corporation , a 5.1% stake in Mazda , a 4.9% stake in Suzuki , a 4.6% stake in Isuzu , a 3.8% stake in Yamaha Motor Corporation , and

2208-583: The Toyota Production System (a lean manufacturing practice) that transformed the small company into a leader in the industry and was the subject of many academic studies. In the 1960s, Toyota took advantage of the rapidly growing Japanese economy to sell cars to a growing middle-class, leading to the development of the Toyota Corolla , which became the world's all-time best-selling automobile . The booming economy also funded an international expansion that allowed Toyota to grow into one of

2300-623: The Yaris platform with the tenth-generation Corolla 's engine. In September 2010, Scion expanded into Canada, with vehicles offered at 45 selected dealers starting in Toronto , Montreal , and Vancouver , followed by other cities. Launch models included the tC, xD, and xB. The first new Scions were shown in Canada at the 2009 Montreal International Auto Show . Sales of the Scion brand were down to

2392-583: The financial crisis of 2007–2008 . Toyota abolished the Scion brand at the start of the 2017 model year in August 2016; the vehicles were either rebranded as Toyotas or discontinued. In 1999, Toyota launched Project Genesis , an effort to bring younger buyers to the Toyota marque in the United States. This project aimed to create a "marque within a marque" in sales and advertising strategy for compact and coupe models sold by Toyota. The effort, which included

2484-472: The tC was discontinued. The then-upcoming C-HR was also moved to the Toyota marque after originally being unveiled as a Scion. The change was not expected to cause disruption to service options, as Scion models were sold and serviced at Toyota dealerships. Scion used sales tools such as "Pure Price" and monospec trim levels with a wide selection of factory and TRD accessories. Extensive market research and testing with Generation Y consumers formed

2576-597: The 1970s the Carina was added as a vehicle between the Corolla and the Corona. In 1957, Toyota launched Toyota Diesel Stores (トヨタディーゼル店 Toyota Dīzeru-ten ), a dealership network for diesel commercial vehicles that initially sold trucks, buses, and forklifts , such as the Dyna and Coaster . Hino products were likewise sold at Diesel Stores after Toyota acquired that company in 1967. Starting in 1980, Diesel Stores sold

2668-413: The 25% " chicken tax " on imported light trucks. By importing the truck as an incomplete chassis cab (the truck without a bed), the vehicle only faced a 4% tariff. Once in the United States, Atlas would build the truck beds and attach them to the trucks. The partnership was successful and two years later, Toyota purchased Atlas. In Southeast Asia, Toyota made efforts to establish domestic production in

2760-858: The BUV was completed in January 1975. The BUV was launched as the Toyota Tamaraw in the Philippines in December 1976, and as the Toyota Kijang in June 1977. The vehicle was well received in both countries. The energy crisis of the 1970s was a major turning point in the American auto industry. Before the crisis, large and heavy vehicles with powerful but inefficient engines were common. But in

2852-579: The Camry sedan, Camry hybrid, Prius and the RAV4 during the launching event at the Grand Hyatt Seoul. Between 2009 and 2011, Toyota conducted recalls of millions of vehicles after reports that several drivers experienced unintended acceleration . The recalls were to prevent a front driver's side floor mat from sliding into the foot pedal well, causing the pedals to become trapped and to correct

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2944-603: The Castle Hill Concours d'Elegance, showing him racing a custom painted yellow and orange xB on Cambridge streets. Scion also teamed with Gaia Online, providing the xB, xD, and tC as a choice for user cars, as well as other things across the site. Scion also used smaller, regional viral campaigns to reach niche demographics. Online campaigns such as Scion xPressionism allowed a user to modify and design their own Scion with graphics, decals, and aftermarket car parts. Online advertising , much of it quirky and offbeat,

3036-3116: The Century are labelled with an ◎. Some cars appear in more than one dealership list (e.g. the Toyota Prius shows up in the car list of all four dealerships). This is because such car were already available in more than one dealership even before Toyota's Unification Strategy took place. [REDACTED] Vehicles sold at Toyota Store : Century ★◎, Crown Majesta ☆, Crown ★, Master ☆, SAI ☆, Mirai ★, Prius ★, Aqua ★, Allion ☆, Succeed ☆, Blade ☆, Avensis ☆, Sienta ★, Corolla RunX ☆, C-HR ★, Porte ☆, Estima ☆, Isis ☆, Roomy ★, FJ Cruiser ☆, Comfort ☆, Japan Taxi ★, Land Cruiser ★, Hilux Surf ★, Land Cruiser Prado ★, Dyna ★, Stout ☆, Esquire ☆, Coaster ★, 2000GT ☆, Carina ☆, Carina ED ☆, GR86 ★, Brevis ☆, Gaia ☆, Cavalier ☆, Classic ☆, MasterAce ☆, Hilux ★, Mega Cruiser ☆, Soarer ☆, Origin ☆, Caldina ☆, AA sedan ☆, Toyopet SA ☆, G1 series truck ☆, FA series truck ☆, BX series truck ☆. [REDACTED] Vehicles sold at Toyopet Store : Mark X ☆, SAI ☆, Mirai ★, Premio ☆, Prius ★, Aqua ★, Belta ☆, Mark X ZiO ☆, Succeed ☆, Ractis ☆, Auris ☆, Blade ☆, GT-86 ☆, Porte ☆, Harrier ☆, Vanguard (3rd gen RAV4) ☆, Esquire ☆, Rush ☆, C-HR ★, Avensis ☆, Alphard ★, Comfort ☆, HiAce ★, ToyoAce ☆, Tank ☆, Sienta ★, Pixis Space ☆, Mark II-Mark II Qualis-Mark II Blit ☆, Corona ☆, Corona EXiV ☆, Corona Coupe ☆, Corsa ☆, Opa ☆, Avalon ☆, Progrès ☆, Cami ☆, ist ☆, Platz ☆, Soarer ☆, Hilux ★, Cynos ☆, Regius ☆, Celsior ☆, Origin ☆, Caldina ☆, Ipsum ☆. [REDACTED] Vehicles sold at Toyota Corolla Store (starting 1966), formerly Toyota Publica Store: SAI ☆, Camry ★, Prius ★, Aqua ★, Corolla Axio ★, GR86 ★, Belta ☆, Spade ☆, Probox ★, Corolla Rumion ☆, C-HR ★, Ractis ☆, Passo ☆, Corolla Spacio ☆, Vanguard (3rd gen RAV4) ☆, Roomy ★, Estima ☆, Noah ★, Avensis ☆, Sienta ★, TownAce ★, Pixis lineup ★, Publica ☆, Tercel ☆, Windom ☆, Scepter ☆, Corolla Ceres ☆, Origin ☆, Nadia ☆, WiLL ☆, RAV4 ★, Sports 800 ☆, Celica ☆, Supra ★, Corolla Levin ☆, Celica XX ☆, Celica Camry ☆. [REDACTED] Vehicles sold at Netz Store (starting 1998), Toyota Vista Store (1980-1998), Toyota Auto Store (1967-1998): Vitz ☆, Yaris ★, SAI ☆, Prius ★, Aqua ★, ist ☆, Auris ☆, bB ☆, Avensis ☆, Raum ☆, Spade ☆, Wish ☆, Voxy ★, RAV4 ★, C-HR ★, Kluger ☆, Sera ☆, Vellfire ★, iQ ☆, Allex ☆, Tank ☆, Pixis lineup ★, Fun Cargo ☆, Pronard ☆, Altezza ☆, Verossa ☆, Curren ☆, Aristo ☆, MR-S ☆, MR2 ☆, Starlet ☆, Vista ☆, Cresta ☆, Sprinter ☆, Voltz ☆, Blizzard ☆, Chaser ☆, Sprinter Marino ☆, Carib ☆, Granvia ☆, Sprinter Trueno ☆, LiteAce ★, Ipsum ☆, GR86 ★, WiLL (1999–2004)☆. Toyota Toyota Motor Corporation ( Japanese : トヨタ自動車株式会社 , Hepburn : Toyota Jidōsha kabushikigaisha , IPA: [toꜜjota] , English: / t ɔɪ ˈ j oʊ t ə / , commonly known as simply Toyota )

3128-493: The Corolla in numbers built that year. Before the decade was out, Toyota introduced Lexus , a new division that was formed to market and service luxury vehicles in international markets. Prior to the debut of Lexus, Toyota's two existing flagship models, the Crown and Century , both catered exclusively for the Japanese market and had little global appeal that could compete with international luxury brands such as Mercedes-Benz , BMW and Jaguar . The company had been developing

3220-481: The Crown went on sale in August 1955. The car was met with positive reviews from around the world. After the introduction of the Crown, Toyota began aggressively expanding into the export market; the company entered Saudi Arabia for the first time in 1955 with Land Cruisers, following an agreement reached with Abdul Latif Jameel (founder of his company of the same name ); Toyota also brought Land Cruisers into neighboring Yemen in 1956. In 1958, Toyota established

3312-414: The Philippines and Indonesia in early 1970s. In the Philippines, it partnered with local company Delta Motor Corporation . Toyota assisted Delta Motor with capital procurement and technology transfers. In 1973, Delta Motor commenced operations at a new plant, beginning local production of engine blocks for the Toyota Corona 12R engine and other parts. In Indonesia, Toyota established Toyota Astra Motor as

3404-516: The Prius. In 2001, Toyota acquired its long time partner, truck and bus manufacturer Hino Motors . In 2002, Toyota entered Formula One competition and established a manufacturing joint venture in France with French automakers Citroën and Peugeot . A youth-oriented marque for North America, Scion , was introduced in 2003. Toyota ranked eighth on Forbes 2000 list of the world's leading companies for

3496-572: The Soviet Union and the U.S., who had been allies in World War II. U.S. priorities shifted (the " Reverse Course ") from punishing and reforming Japan to ensuring internal political stability, rebuilding the economy, and, to an extent, remilitarizing Japan. Under these new policies, in 1949, Japanese automakers were allowed to resume passenger car production, but at the same time, a new economic stabilization program to control inflation plunged

3588-538: The Starlet, Corolla, Corona, Vista, Mark II, and Crown equipped with diesel engines , as well as the first-generation Tercel , although it was not available with a diesel engine at the time. When the Toyota Diesel store network was disbanded in 1988, commercial vehicles were divided between Toyota Stores and Toyopet Stores. Toyota Publica Stores (トヨタパブリカ店 Toyota Paburika-ten ) were established in 1961 to sell

3680-525: The Toyoda Model G Automatic loom . The principle of jidoka , which means the machine stops itself when a problem occurs, became later a part of the Toyota Production System . Looms were built on a small production line . In 1929, the patent for the automatic loom was sold to the British company Platt Brothers , generating the starting capital for automobile development. Under the direction of

3772-495: The Toyota Motor Company Ltd. Kiichiro's brother-in-law Rizaburo Toyoda was appointed the firm's first president, with Kiichiro as vice-president. Toyota Automatic Loom Works formally transferred automobile manufacturing to the new entity on September 29. The Japanese government supported the company by preventing foreign competitors Ford and General Motors from importing automobiles into Japan. At

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3864-544: The Toyota Production System. For Toyota, the factory gave the company its first manufacturing base in North America allowing it to avoid any future tariffs on imported vehicles and saw GM as a partner who could show them how to navigate the American labor environment. The plant would be led by Tatsuro Toyoda , the younger brother of company president Shoichiro Toyoda. The first Toyota assembled in America,

3956-475: The United States government over accusations that it had intentionally hid information about safety defects and had made deceptive statements to protect its brand image. Amid the unintended acceleration scandal, Katsuaki Watanabe stepped down as company president. He was replaced by Akio Toyoda , grandson of company founder Kiichiro Toyoda, on June 23, 2009. Akio had been with Toyota since 1984, working jobs in production, marketing and product development, and took

4048-555: The automotive industry into a serious shortage of funds, while many truck owners defaulted on their loans. Ultimately, the Bank of Japan , the central bank of the country, bailed out the company, with demands that the company institute reforms. As the 1950s began, Toyota emerged from its financial crisis a smaller company, closing factories and laying off workers. Meanwhile, the Korean War broke out, and being located so close to

4140-546: The basis of the Scion badge. "Pure Price" means that the price posted, whether on the vehicle, in an advertisement, or on a menu display board in the dealership, was the price customers would pay. This included the vehicle, accessories, finance and insurance products. Pure Price was designed to ensure a shorter and simpler process, eliminating all negotiation, though it was common for dealers to add aftermarket accessories and mark vehicles up to increase profits. The concept aimed to be open and consistent to all customers. The concept

4232-478: The battlefront, the U.S. Army placed an order for 1,000 trucks from Toyota. The order helped to rapidly improve the struggling company's business performance. In 1950, company executives, including Kiichiro's cousin Eiji Toyoda , took a trip to the United States where they trained at the Ford Motor Company and observed the operations of dozens of U.S. manufacturers. The knowledge they gained during

4324-483: The bearings inside the centrifugal blower. All accessories are sold individually, and do not require special packages. However, some options, such as Ground Effects, do prevent other accessories (such as mud flaps ) from being installed. Companies that participated in the Optōmize Scion program include GReddy , OBX , RÄZO , a few car detailing companies, and others. Beginning in the second quarter of 2004 with

4416-457: The brand and vehicles in secret since August 1983, at a cost of over US$ 1 billion. The LS 400 flagship full-size sedan debuted in 1989 to strong sales, and was largely responsible for the successful launch of the Lexus marque. In the 1990s, Toyota began to branch out from producing mostly compact cars by adding many larger and more luxurious vehicles to its lineup, including a full-sized pickup,

4508-467: The company in 1959: "'Toy' sounds like a toy and toys break". The Crown was a flop in the U.S. market, with buyers finding it overpriced and underpowered (because it was designed for endurance on the bad roads of Japan, not high-speed performance on the good roads of America). In response, exports of the Crown to the United States were suspended in the early 1960s in favor of the Land Cruiser and

4600-441: The company proposing a joint-venture with the Ford Motor Company . Those talks broke down in July 1981. Eventually in 1984, the company struck a deal with General Motors (GM) to establish a joint-venture vehicle manufacturing plant called NUMMI (New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc.) in Fremont, California . GM saw the joint venture as a way to get access to a quality small car and an opportunity to learn about The Toyota Way and

4692-417: The company ran a public competition to design a new logo. Of 27,000 entries, the winning entry was the three Japanese katakana letters for "Toyoda" in a circle. However, Rizaburo Toyoda , who had married into the family and was not born with that name, preferred "Toyota" ( トヨタ ) because it took eight brush strokes (a lucky number) to write in Japanese, was visually simpler (leaving off the diacritic at

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4784-486: The company their father had founded. In 1992, Shoichiro Toyoda would shift to become chairman, allowing his brother Tatsuro to become president, a job he held until his retirement in 1995. Shoichiro would step down as chairman in 1999. Both would retain honorary advisory roles in the company. Hiroshi Okuda would lead the company as president from 1995 until 1999 when he became chairman and the President's office would be filled by Fujio Cho . In August 2000, exports began of

4876-404: The company to 33.4 percent, giving Toyota the ability to veto shareholder resolutions at the annual meeting. In 1998, Toyota increased its holding in the company to 51.2 percent, becoming the majority shareholder. On September 29, 1999, the company decided to list itself on the New York and London Stock Exchanges . The later half of the 1990s would also see the Toyoda brothers step back from

4968-477: The company's first truck, the G1 , was completed on August 25, 1935, and debuted on November 21 in Tokyo, becoming the company's first production model. Modeled on a period Ford truck, the G1 sold for ¥2,900, ¥200 cheaper than the Ford truck. A total of 379 G1 trucks were ultimately produced. In April 1936, Toyoda's first passenger car, the Model AA , was completed. The sales price was ¥3,350, ¥400 cheaper than Ford or GM cars. The company's plant at Kariya

5060-508: The design and manufacturing of auto bodies, which were then mounted on truck frames made by Toyota. The project was a major test for Toyota, who would need to build bodies and develop a new chassis that would be comfortable, but still stand up to the muddy, slow, unpaved roads common in Japan at the time. The project had been championed for many years by founder Kiichiro Toyoda, who died suddenly on March 27, 1952. The first prototypes were completed in June 1953 and began extensive testing, before

5152-428: The driver. Scion offered about 150 different accessories; other after-market companies through the Optōmize Scion program offer to add other accessories, as well. For example, one can add a subwoofer as well as different types of decals . The tC had offered an optional supercharger to increase power from 161 to 200 hp (120 to 150 kW), but this option was since discontinued in 2007 due to early failure of

5244-601: The end of 2017. The decision was based on the unfavourable Australian dollar making exports not viable, the high cost of local manufacture, and the high amount of competition in a relatively small local market. The company planned to consolidate its corporate functions in Melbourne by the end of 2017, and retain its Altona plant for other functions. The workforce is expected to be reduced from 3,900 to 1,300. Both Ford Motor Company and General Motors ( Holden ) followed suit, ending Australian production in 2016 and 2017 respectively. The automaker narrowly topped global sales for

5336-434: The end), and with a voiceless consonant instead of a voiced one (voiced consonants are considered to have a "murky" or "muddy" sound compared to voiceless consonants, which are "clear"). Since toyoda literally means "fertile rice paddies", changing the name also prevented the company from being associated with old-fashioned farming. The newly formed word was trademarked and the company began trading on August 28, 1937, as

5428-685: The first half of 2014, selling 5.1 million vehicles in the six months ending June 30, 2014, an increase of 3.8% on the same period the previous year. Volkswagen AG , which recorded sales of 5.07 million vehicles, was close behind. Scion (automobile) The brand first soft launched in the United States at selected Toyota dealers in the state of California in June 2003, before expanding nationwide by February 2004. Sales peaked in 2006 with 173,034 units sold. In 2010, Scion expanded into Canada. However, Toyota's initial propositions of short product cycles and aggressive pricing based on low dealer margins became increasingly unsustainable as sales fell after

5520-479: The founder's son, Kiichiro Toyoda , Toyoda Automatic Loom Works established an Automobile Division on September 1, 1933, and formally declared its intention to begin manufacturing automobiles on January 29, 1934. A prototype Toyota Type A engine was completed on September 25, 1934, with the company's first prototype sedan, the A1 , completed the following May. As Kiichiro had limited experience with automobile production, he initially focused on truck production;

5612-430: The growing popularity of the Scion product line and the scarce production runs (most dealers only get 2-3 of each RS model), these limited edition vehicles quickly sold out. Pre-ordering is available at each dealership on a first-come, first-served basis. To the customer's benefit, Scion's "Pure Price" MSRP bounds dealerships against market-demand vehicle mark-up. Naturally, resale values of Release Series vehicles command

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5704-432: The iA as the Toyota Yaris sedan in Canada. On February 3, 2016, Toyota announced that the Scion brand would be phased out in August after the 2016 model year, stating that the company no longer required a specific marque to target younger demographics. The FR-S, iA, and iM models were amalgamated into the Toyota marque for the 2017 model year as the Toyota 86 , Toyota Yaris iA , and Toyota Corolla iM respectively, while

5796-454: The introduction of the Toyota Echo economy car, along with late generation Toyota MR-2 and Toyota Celica models, was judged unsuccessful and cancelled in 2001. In response, Toyota chose to launch a separate marque, an effort called Project Exodus. A Los Angeles-based digital design company, Fresh Machine, was retained by Toyota to develop the brand, logo, and website. This project became known as Scion. Toyota had previously participated in

5888-420: The largest automakers in the world, the largest company in Japan and the ninth-largest company in the world by revenue , as of December 2020 . Toyota was the world's first automobile manufacturer to produce more than 10 million vehicles per year, a record set in 2012, when it also reported the production of its 200 millionth vehicle. By September 2023, total production reached 300 million vehicles. Toyota

5980-435: The late 1940s, Toyota 's sales department was part of its manufacturing company and had its office in Nagoya . At that time, the Japanese auto industry was controlled by the U.S. government . The majority of Toyota's sales was composed of trucks and buses. The new car business in Japan was quite limited. There was little need for consumer-oriented branding or consumer-oriented showrooms. On April 3, 1950, Toyota established

6072-420: The launch of the 2004 Scion xB RS 1.0 (Release Series 1.0), followed by the Scion xA RS 1.0, Scion decided to create limited edition vehicles pre-packaged with exclusive accessories in limited quantities. Limited Edition vehicles from a marketing standpoint were used to create a buzz for the brand name, with their exterior colors tending to be loud or bright hues (e.g. orange, yellow, red, blue, green). Because of

6164-630: The loophole that allowed Toyota to pay lower taxes by building truck beds in America. Also in 1981, Eiji Toyoda stepped down as president and assumed the title of chairman. He was succeeded as president by Shoichiro Toyoda , the son of the company's founder. Within months, Shoichiro started to merge Toyota's sales and production organizations, and in 1982 the combined companies became the Toyota Motor Corporation. The two groups were described as "oil and water" and it took years of leadership from Shoichiro to successfully combine them into one organization. In Japan, Toyota offered mid-level luxury cars that were

6256-488: The lowest in the industry. To advertise Scion, Toyota began a promotional campaign using a form of guerrilla marketing , using posters and ads in movie theaters and TV to direct consumers to its various "want2bsquare" web sites. Scion's marketing endeavors extended to sponsorships, such as that of VBS.tv's show, Thumbs Up! , which featured David Choe hitchhiking across the United States. Scion sponsored two commercials featuring Concours race car driver Matt Verbin during

6348-423: The more profitable Toyota and Lexus lines, and Gen Y buyers were generally making more pragmatic car-buying choices than their predecessors due to economic factors. For the 2015 model year, Scion released the iM hatchback, based on the international Toyota Auris , and the iQ, xB, and xD were discontinued. Scion also introduced the iA sedan, a rebadged version of the Mazda2 ; however, Toyota opted to sell

6440-469: The new FR-S and redesigned tC did not equal sales of the tC alone during 2005 through 2008, and industry observers concluded that the FR-S was cannibalizing sales of the similar tC. iQ sales never met expectations, and by 2014, observers were characterizing it as a "disappointment." A primary goal of the Scion brand was to introduce young first-time buyers to Toyota products, but analysts found that relatively few Scion buyers were making follow-on purchases from

6532-399: The onset of World War II , Toyota almost exclusively produced standard-sized trucks for the Japanese Army, which paid one-fifth of the price in advance and the remainder in cash upon delivery. Japan was heavily damaged in World War II and Toyota's plants, which were used for the war effort, were not spared. On August 14, 1945, one day before the surrender of Japan , Toyota's Koromo Plant

6624-628: The other in Blue Springs, Mississippi, USA. The company was number one in global automobile sales for the first quarter of 2008. Toyota was hit by the global financial crisis of 2008 as it was forced in December 2008 to forecast its first annual loss in 70 years. In January 2009, it announced the closure of all of its Japanese plants for 11 days to reduce output and stocks of unsold vehicles. In October 2009, Toyota announced that they were establishing an office in South Korea and launched

6716-405: The possible mechanical sticking of the accelerator pedal . At least 37 were killed in crashes allegedly related to unintended acceleration, approximately 9 million cars and trucks were recalled, Toyota was sued for personal injuries and wrongful deaths, paid US$ 1 billion to settle a class action lawsuit to compensate owners for lost resale value, and paid a US$ 1.2 billion criminal penalty to

6808-526: The release of the 2005 tC . On December 16, 2006, Scion unveiled the next-generation xB , based on the t2B concept, and the new xD , successor of the xA , at an invitation-only, no-camera event in Miami. Both cars were then publicly unveiled on February 8, 2007, at the Chicago Auto Show. The xD, a five-door subcompact car that is sold in Japan as the second generation Toyota Ist , was based on

6900-551: The same month, the FR-S sports car went on sale as a 2013 model. Later in 2012—despite the announcement of its imminent discontinuation—a facelifted version of the xB was unveiled. In late 2013, the xD and second-generation xB were in their seventh year without a substantial redesign, and Scion sales were still far short of their 2006 peak. Toyota began allowing dealers to drop the Scion marque without penalty. The recently introduced FR-S had strong initial sales, but combined sales of

6992-612: The same time, other products were taken over by NETZ Store, which was already selling the ist and the RAV4 . In 2012, selected Japanese dealerships were given a special designation, Area 86 , that resembled the North American Toyota network , called Scion , to sell the 86 , building on the marketing approach started with WiLL -branded products. As of 2017, the Area 86 network was rebranded as GR for Gazoo Racing , sharing

7084-486: The same time, sports cars like the Supra , Celica , MR2 , Corolla Levin , Sprinter Trueno , and even the subcompact Starlet GT reflected a time of prosperity. December 1997 saw the introduction of the first-generation Toyota Prius , the first mass-produced gasoline-electric hybrid car. The vehicle would be produced exclusively for the Japanese market for the first two years. With a major presence in Europe, due to

7176-585: The slight opening of the Japanese auto market to foreign companies. In an effort to strengthen Japan's auto industry ahead of the market opening, Toyota purchased stakes in other Japanese automakers. That included a stake in Hino Motors , a manufacturer of large commercial trucks, buses and diesel engines, along with a 16.8 percent stake in Daihatsu , a manufacturer of kei cars , the smallest highway-legal passenger vehicles sold in Japan. That began what became

7268-617: The success of Toyota Team Europe in motorsport, the corporation decided to set up Toyota Motor Europe Marketing and Engineering, TMME , to help market vehicles in the continent. Two years later, Toyota set up a base in the United Kingdom, TMUK , as the company's cars had become very popular among British drivers. Bases in Indiana , Virginia , and Tianjin were also set up. Toyota also increased its ownership of Daihatsu during this period. In 1995, Toyota increased its shareholding in

7360-466: The trip, along with what the company learned making looms, gave rise to The Toyota Way (a management philosophy) and the Toyota Production System (a lean manufacturing practice) that transformed the company into a leader in the manufacturing industry. Toyota started developing its first full-fledged passenger car, the Toyopet Crown , in 1952. Prior to the Crown, Toyota had been outsourcing

7452-400: The xB declined after the introduction of the second generation, from a peak of over 60,000 to 17,017 in 2011; sales of the xD fell to 9,573 in 2011 from 32,603 in 2006. By the time it was discontinued, over a million Scion-branded cars were sold. Over 70% were sold to people new to Toyota and just over 50% of the cars sold were to people under the age of 35; tC buyers had an average age of 29,

7544-794: The xB), and the ccX (which became the tC). The 2004 xA and xB were unveiled at the Greater Los Angeles Auto Show on January 2, 2003. They were available only in 105 Toyota dealerships in California at their initial launch on June 9, 2003. The subsequent rollout of the brand to the South, the Southeast, and the East Coast occurred in February 2004. Scion vehicles were available nationwide in June 2004, coinciding with

7636-714: The year 2005. Also in 2005, Fujio Cho would shift to become chairman of Toyota and would be replaced as president by Katsuaki Watanabe . In 2007, Toyota released an update of its full-sized truck, the Tundra, produced in two American factories, one in Texas and one in Indiana. Motor Trend named the 2007 Toyota Camry "Car of the Year" for 2007. It also began the construction of two new factories, one in Woodstock, Ontario, Canada, and

7728-416: The years after, consumers started demanding high-quality and fuel-efficient small cars. Domestic automakers, in the midst of their malaise era , struggled to build these cars profitably, but foreign automakers like Toyota were well positioned. This, along with growing anti-Japanese sentiment , prompted the U.S. Congress to consider import restrictions to protect the domestic auto industry. The 1960s also saw

7820-410: Was also well received with brisk sales. The marque's best-selling year was 2006, with 173,000 vehicles sold. Sales dropped in the ensuing years, to 57,961 vehicles in 2009. By 2010, the tC was the mainstay of the brand, accounting for over 40% of all Scions sold since the brand was established. However, some sales of the second-generation tC were cannibalized by the similar FR-S. In the U.S., sales of

7912-458: Was bombed by the Allied forces . After the surrender, the U.S.-led occupying forces banned passenger car production in Japan. However, automakers like Toyota were allowed to begin building trucks for civilian use, in an effort to rebuild the nation's infrastructure. The U.S. military also contracted with Toyota to repair its vehicles. By 1947, there was an emerging global Cold War between

8004-414: Was completed in May. In July, the company filled its first export order, with four G1 trucks exported to northeastern China. On September 19, 1936, the Japanese imperial government officially designated Toyota Automatic Loom Works as an automotive manufacturer. Vehicles were originally sold under the name "Toyoda" (トヨダ), from the family name of the company's founder, Kiichirō Toyoda . In September 1936,

8096-523: Was established in 1980, and a Camry clone called the Vista was developed in 1982. Toyota Auto Stores were rebranded as NETZ Store (ネッツトヨタ店 Nettsu-Toyota-ten ) ("Network of Energetic Teams for Zenith"), targeting young buyers, in August 1998. Toyota Vista Stores was subsequently merged into NETZ Toyota in 2004. Some former NETZ Store models, such as the Altezza, were rebranded as Lexus (レクサス Rekusasu ). At

8188-617: Was not new to the U.S. market, having been introduced in the early 1990s by the Geo and Saturn marques of General Motors . Scion's sales approach differed greatly from that of the Toyota brand. In the United States, for instance, the Toyota Camry was offered with four different trim levels intended for different crowds (budget-conscious, mainstream, sports-oriented and luxury); all Scions, in contrast, had only one standard trim level (monospec) and were designed to be uniquely customized for

8280-504: Was part of Scion's marketing mix for both these campaigns and for the launch of new models. Shows like Slick's Picks went around the country interviewing artists, stores, and events and put short videos on the site. Scion Radio 17 was an internet-radio initiative that features 17 non-mainstream channels, ranging from rock and hip hop to electro and soul. Scion AV served as the brand's lifestyle marketing initiative, funding projects in music, art, and film. In August 2008, Scion released

8372-432: Was praised for being a leader in the development and sales of more fuel-efficient hybrid electric vehicles , starting with the introduction of the original Toyota Prius in 1997. The company now sells more than 40 hybrid vehicle models around the world. More recently, the company has also been criticized for being slow to adopt all-electric vehicles , instead focusing on the development of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles , like

8464-537: Was redesigned specifically for the American market with a more powerful engine. The Corona helped increase U.S. sales of Toyota vehicles to more than 20,000 units in 1966 (a threefold increase) and helped the company become the third-best-selling import brand in the United States by 1967. Toyota's first manufacturing investment in the United States came in 1972 when the company struck a deal with Atlas Fabricators, to produce truck beds in Long Beach, in an effort to avoid

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